Team-building. Metrics. Personal and professional development. Career pathing. Mentoring. Goals. By bringing these all together in a balanced, intentional way, it’s possible to make heroes of those with whom you work, of your entire team and your whole organization.

Your meeting is just about to start and you give yourself a mental pat on the back for assembling this ideal group of individuals to help tackle a challenge. There are a few subject-matter experts in the room, plus you know from first-hand experience that everyone here is great at generating thoughtful, quality concepts. You call the meeting to order, discussion ensues, and at the end of the hour, this little brainstorm session has likely gone one of two ways:

When it comes to prioritizing your workday, where do you start? What tools do you use, what is your methodology, and how do you handle urgent requests? We asked CRC staffers, family, friends, and business contacts to take time out of their busy days to share tools and techniques for managing – yep, you guessed it – their busy days. While no two people are alike, some definite themes emerged.